Layers - Salmonella Testing Requirements for Laying Birds

Free Range Layers

Post-cleaning and prior to a new flock going into the house:

1 gauze swab (blue Sponge) from EACH of the following NINE areas PER HOUSE

Floors surfaces (including cracked areas)

Walls (including cracked areas)

High beams/ledges and pipe-work

Fans & fan housing

Manure belts/droppings board, scratching areas

In-house open feed hoppers/feeders

Drinkers/nipple spillage troughs/cups

Nest boxes/cage interiors

Egg delivery belts/elevators

These may be tested in 1 or more composites.

Also take up to 25g of rodent faeces, from surfaces in house, or service area if
none available in house.

If none available, producer is to sign a declaration and take gauze swab from areas
around bait boxes.

If a previous flock has tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis or Salmonella
Typimurium. Please see us for an alternative testing kit.

Commencing at 22-26 weeks of age

Take from ALL flocks 2 x 150g faeces from end of belts, scrapers or pits PER HOUSE
every 15 weeks until depletion.

It is important to ensure that belts and scrapers are run on the day of sampling
to collect fresh material before the samples are collected

Pooled faeces which have lodges on the scrapers or end of belts after they have
been run is collected

In step-cage systems where belts and scrapers have not been installed, faeces is
to be collected from the deep pit.

Samples are to be collected with the use of gloved hands, inverted bags or spatulas.

Faeces from belts and scrapers from all rows and tiers of cages should be collected.
If composite faeces are collected from dropping pits, then collect at least 60 pinches
of fresh surface material from different areas around the house where it is safe
to do so.

PLEASE NOTE:

All samples should be dispatched within 24 hours of collection. The BEIC Lion Code
require all producers to ensure that the time between sampling and the lab starting
to process the sample to be no later than 48 hours

For samples that fall outside of this time frame will not be able to have the laboratories
UKAS accreditation mark on their salmonella results.

To avoid this please ensure samples are sent and received within 48 hours of sampling,
it is therefore, not advisable to send samples on a Friday or Saturday, as they
will not be tested until the following Monday, which will result in the 48 hour
rule being breached.